Apparatus for dividing logs into chips



7 Dec. 26, 1967 J. TRABEN 3,360,024

APPARATUS FOR DIVIDING LOGS INTO CHIPS Original Filed Aug. 5, 1964 esheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR:

JosEf 777A 8 Ed BY M t I A TTOR NE Y5 Dec. 26, 1967 J. TRABEN 3,360,024

APPARATUS FOR DIVIDING LOGS INTO CHIPS Original Filed Aug. 5, 1964 6Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG?) H I NVENTOR;

JOSEF YTAA as v BY. M w ATTOR Y5 Dec. 26, 1967 J. TRABEN 3,360,024

APPARATUS FOR DIVIDING LOGS INTO CHIPS Original Filed Aug. 5, 1964 eSheets-Sheet z INVENTORL JesEF TRABEN A TTORNEY Deg. 26, 1967 J. TRABEN3,360,024

APPARATUS FOR DIVIDING LOGS INTO CHIPS Original Filed Aug. 5. 1964 6Sheets-Sheet 5 T I F\// so INVENTOR. Josff TM 3 EN F ATTORNEZ v Dec. 26,1967 J. TRABEN 3,360,024

I APPARATUS FOR DIVIDING LOGS INTO CHIPS Original Filed Aug. 5, 1964 6Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR g Jose; TAA (En j ATTORNEY United States Patent3,360,024 APPARATUS FOR DIVIDING LOGS INTO CHIPS Josef Traben,Oberkirch, Baden, Germany, assrgrror to Gebruder Linck, Baden, Germany,a corporation of Germany Original application Aug. 5, 1964, Ser. No.387,755.

Divided and this application Jan. 23, 1967, Ser. No. 611,039

8 Claims. (Cl. 144-176) This application is a division of my copendingUS. application Ser. No. 387,755 filed Aug. 5, 1964, entitled, Methodfor Dividing Logs Into Chips which in turn is a continuation-in-part ofmy earlier U.S. application Ser. No. 103,904 filed Apr. 18, 1961, andnow abandoned.

This invention relates to apparatus for chipping the surfaces of logsand timbers so as to produce chips or flakes of excellent quality andadmirably suited for making wood pulp, flake boards and particle boards.More specifically, the present invention relates to apparatus by whichflat smooth surfaces can be cut on logs and timbers, but also providesfor the production of an improved flake or chip highly desirable for thepurposes mentioned above.

Accordingly, an important object of the present invention is to provideapparatus for cutting flat surfaces on logs while simultaneouslyconverting the curved surface portions directly into flat chips ofunbroken grain.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improvedapparatus for forming wood chips which is readily adjustable to producechips of various thickness and size.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improvedapparatus for forming wood chips which can be readily adapted to be usedeither singly and in pairs or in combination with other wood workingmachines.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method forchipping logs or the like to produce flat chips including an apparatuswhich utilizes a rotating head having at least one scoring knife and anassociated planing knife arranged from a center area of the head onconically widening helical paths. The scoring knife edges are positionedso that they will score the log passed in its longitudinal direction andacross the axis of rotation of the chipping tool past the front facethereof and across the grain extending in said longitudinal directionwhile the planing knife edges are positioned so that they cut thedesired chips out of the wood along at least one scored groove andacross the grain.

The advantages of the present invention as well as the nature thereofwill become more apparent from the following description and drawingswherein a preferred form of the invention is illustated In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the chipping tool of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the chipping tool from the front side asnormally employed for chipping a log;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the contemplated mounting of two oppositechipping heads for an increased capacity of operation;

FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of the chipping tool and the frontportion of a log as engaged by the chipping tool;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a group of scoring knives and a group ofplaning knives which are attached to a mounting plate;

FIG.6 is a schematic perspective view of three scoring knives alone asthey cut into a log diagonally or angularly;

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FIG. 7 is a perspective view of three planing knives alone as theyengage a log diagonally or angularly at points scored by the scoringknives;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view as seen from within the chipping head, of aportion of a log, comprising scoring knife and planing knife sets onribs of the chipping head, lines of the direction of rotation of thechipping head, of the scoring thrust and the planing thrust, andappearance of the chips before they are planed out or cut out; and

FIG. 9 is a modified embodiment wherein the scoring knives and theplaning knives are firmly combined into units.

The chipping head rotating about its center axis in a bearing (notshown), arranged in an exposed manner, and having the approximate shapeof a frustum, which is denoted generally by 1, consists substantially ofa thick disk 2 which serves as the base plate of the frustum and aplurality of stepped supporting ribs 3. The ribs are mounted firmly ondisk 2, and begin at about the edge of the disk, and terminate at ahub-like ring 7 positioned centrally with respect to the axis ofrotation of the head, the height of said ring being about equal to theheight of the frustum. The ribs 3, disk 2 and hub-like ring 7 areintegral, forming for instance a casting. Ring 7 is reinforced inwardlyby webs 8, which terminate at a flange 10 at the bottom of said ring.With the aid of set bolts 11, the flange 10, ring 7, and ribs 3 arefirmly connected detachably to a outerflange (not shown) of thesupporting drive shaft (also not shown) of a drive motor (not shown).

All of plate-shaped ribs 3 are spaced evenly and positionedsymmetrically so that they are tangent to an imaginary ring locatedwithin ring 7. In addition, they are stepped from ring 7 towards disk 2approximately along the shell of said frustum, and increase in thicknessfrom their free longitudinal or front edges to their bases terminatingat disk 2. The stepping is provided in order for the mounting plates 13mounted on ribs 3 and provided with said scoring knives and said planingknives, to have maximum seat and support. These plates are attached tosaid ribs, for instance, by means of screws 17 and 18.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4, mounting plates 13 carry scoring knives 21and planing knives 24. The mounting plate 13 (FIG. 5) has a longitudinalgroove 27 to a accornmodate a screw bolt (not shown) for detachably andadjustably securing said plate to the associated rib 3 of the chippinghead. Further, the plate 13 has recesses 28 and 29 which reduce theweight as desired virtually without aifecting the strength. The plate 13is angled between the two recesses, the edge of the leg beginning atgroove 27 is disposed approximately in parallel with the surface of ring7, the edge of the other leg approximately in parallel with disk 2. Thethird edge follows the cone surface and is stepped similar to ribs 3.Further, the plate 13 has grooves 30 to receive scoring knives 21.Scoring knife 21 is detachably secured to plate 13 by means of screws31.

The scoring knife 21 is secured further by means of the plate-shapedtrunk 33 of planing knife 24, the trunk partly overlapping the knife.The trunk has two slot grooves 34, 35, through which bolts are passed,which are threaded and partly screwed into plate 13 and partly carry anut 36 which is tightened against trunk 33 through a washer 37. Eachtrunk has a shoulder such as 38 with an enlarged portion that terminatesat the front in a planing knife such as 24. The adjacent planing knifeis adapted to engage the trunk recess beginning with the shoulder. Forinstance, planing knife 24 and part of its 3 trunk 33 engage recess 38in adjacent trunk 33 having planing knife 24 (FIG. 5).

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8, the edges of planing knives 24 aredisposed in parallel with each other and with mounting plate 13 and itsmounting rib 3 in the chipping head. Likewise, the cutting edges ofscoring knives 21 are disposed approximately in parallel with each otherin the projection toward the center plane of each planing knife, butabout normal to the planing knife edge. Further, the scoring knife 21 ispositioned so that the wood is engaged a little behind the tip, i.e. bythe edge 45, rather than by the tip 44 of the scoring knife.

Each two adjacent scoring knives determine the width of a chip cut outby a planing knife subsequently arranged in the direction of rotation ofthe chipping head. Reference in this respect should be had to FIGS. 6and 7. FIG. 6 shows how three scoring knives 21 diagonally cut into thewood of the log generally denoted 47, across the longitudinal directionF of the grain with scoring grooves 50 being made. These grooves aremade irrespective of the fact that log 47 travels in its longitudinaldirection C against the side of the chipping head and past said head.The rotational speed of the head is such that the log may be consideredas standing relatively still as the scoring knives and the planingknives perform their cutting operation.

FIG. 7 shows the engagement of the planing knife. Edges 52 of planingknives 55 peripherally following scoring knives 21, engage the woodsuccessively at least along one scoring groove, but in parallel with thelongitudinal grain direction F thereof. In this engagement, chips 58 arebeing put out, which theoretically are to have the entire length of theplaned log side, but in actual fact are broken off to be shorter becauseof the overturn at any desired wood grain. In a slot, curved lines,caused by scoring and planing blows, mark the single 360 revolution ofthe particular row of planing knives in the chipping head.

FIG. 8 is a schematic and perspective view of a log 47 which has beengiven a tapered step shape extending to the right due to the engagementof the knives. Rib 70a is disposed peripherally in direction of rotation69 ahead of rib 70b.

The knives on preceding rib 70a engage log 47 on thinly drawn circularpaths 71 which constitute the revolution of the chipping head. Thegrains of the following rib 7% include thickly drawn out circular paths73. Thin line 75 represents the line of scoring impact; each thick line76, the line of planing impact. By line of impact is meant the linealong which the particular knife, scoring or planing, will engage thelog diagonally. The scoring knives of the preceding rib 70a are referredto by 77, the associated planing knives of the following rib 7%, by 78.By their engagement, these knives associated with one another form thedesired chip, e.g. 79.

FIG. 9 shows a modified form wherein scoring knives 80 are mountedfirmly above planing knives 83 and are integral within the mountingplate. The scoring knives 80 are in turn mounted firmly to planingknives 83, e.g. made to be integral therewith. Each five scoring knivesof a preceding chipping head rib, score the wood or cut into it acrossits direction of grain also in this embodiment, and the desiredplate-shaped chip having an undamaged grain is cut out of the wood suchas a log, pole, timber, beam, or the like, by the associated planingknife disposed on the following rib next in line, as said planing knifeengages the wood in parallel with the grain direction. The bottom partof the figure shows several scoring knives 80 during and prior to theirengagement of body of Wood 86. The next group of knives 83a are shownfollowing relative to the chipping tool direction of rotation 90.

From the foregoing description, the operation of the novel chippingapparatus of the present invention will be evident. The previouslydebarked log 47 will be introduced into the chipping tool in thedirection of the arrow as shown in FIG. 2.

Accordingly, it will be apparent that the engagement of the scoringknives, preferably normal to the longitudinal grain direction; and theengagement of the planing knives, preferably in parallel with thelongitudinal grain direction, will depend upon the fact that the log isnot too thick in relation to the diameter of the chipping head and thatthe log always passes in the center of the head. The larger the diameterof the head is, the smaller the diameter of the log is; and the closerthe log passes the head horizontally where the knives engage vertically,the more ideally will the requirements be met of normal to and inparalle with the grain direction. However, it has been found with thepresent invention that the range of tolerances regarding the diameterrelations and the level of passage of the log are relatively broad suchthat flat plate-shaped or disk-shaped chips having an undamagedlongitudinal grain are produced throughout this range.

As shown especially by FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the scoring knives and theplaning knives for one thing are disposed in the direction of theimaginary surface of the cone head, or in other words in a radialtangential direction along the ribs 3 from within ring 7 outwardly ofdisk 2 from a knife 67 to the peripherally following knife 68 so thatthe scoring knives or planing knives arranged in correspondence with oneanother are located successively in helical paths. According to FIG. 2,this is one coherent multiple path 66. Since they are stationary on thechipping tool, the revolution in space of the scoring knives and theplaning knives themselves is, of course, in circular paths. But inlooking against the front face of the running chipping head,continuously running spirals are perceived.

It will be further noted that the scoring knives and the planing knivesare set back axially from one group to the group peripherally followingin the direction of rotation, and are slightly staggered laterally ineffecting the spiral path, whereby a natural overlapping into thetraveling log results after one revolution of the head.

With respect to FIG. 1, it should be noted that in the chipping toolillustrated there, only every other rib 3 is mounted with scoring knivesand planing knives, but it is readily possible for each rib to bemounted. Of course, the mounting always must be symmetrical with respectto rotation, for example, the first and eight ribs; the first, third,fifth seventh ninth, eleventh and thirteenth ribs; and the like.

Various modifications can be made in the chipping device of the presentinvention. Thus the ribs 3 can be wedge-shaped so that the base thereofconnected to the disk 2 is broader than the upper portion of the ribs.In addition, the scoring knives and the planing knives may be mountedeither directly to the ribs or to special plates which in turn aremounted to the ridges. The great advantage of the latter embodiment isthat together with the plates, the knives can be assembled to formconstruction units which are rapidly exchanged for e.g. repair purposesor for selecting different scoring knives and/or planing knives, forinstance, for logs having a different diameter or constituting adifferent kind of wood.

While the illustrative embodiments of the invention have been describedhereinbefore with particularity, it will be apparent to and can readilybe made by those skilled in the art Without departing from the scope andspirit of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the scopeof the claims appended hereto be limited to the examples and descriptionset forth herein but rather that the claims be construed as encompassingall the features of patentable novelty which reside in the presentinvention including all features which would be treated as patentableequivalents thereof by those skilled in the art to which the inventionpertains.

What I claim is:

1. In a wood chipping device a rotating chipping head having a Workengaging front face arranged for engaging the curved sides of a log tobe cut, a plurality of stepped equally spaced ribs mounted on said frontface and at least one set of two scoring knives in association with oneplaning knife mounted on each of at least two or said ribs, said twoscoring knives disposed in parallel arrangement so as to engage firstthe log and define the width of the cut made by the planing knife whichfollows and engages the log in a direction parallel with the grainthereof.

2. The wood chipping device of claim 1 in which a hub-like ring ispositioned in the center of the front face, said ribs spaced so that theribs are tangent to an imaginary ring located within said hub-like ring.

3. The wood chipping device of claim 1 in which the scoring knives andplaning knives are arranged in stepped alignment with said ribs.

4. A wood chipping device having a rotary head adapted to be rotatedinto engagement with a side of a log about an axis generally normal tothe longitudinal axis of the log, first means on said head for scoringthe log generally across the grain along at least two spaced paths, andsecond means for cutting generally along the grain of the log betweensaid scored paths to remove a chip from the log.

5. The device defined in claim 4 further having one side adapted to facethe log to be chipped and said scoring and cutting means are positionedon said one side.

6. The device defined in claim 5 wherein said head has a number of ribsradiating and receding from a center portion thereof and also beingpartly tangentially oriented with respect to an imaginary circle drawnin the head, said first means being located at a first station along oneof the ribs and said second means being located at a second stationalong said one rib and spaced outwardly from said first station wherebythe log to be chipped is first scored by said first means and then cutby said second means.

7. The device defined in claim 6 wherein said head further has a numberof mounting plates attached respectively to said ribs, and said firstand second means are on said mounting plates.

8. The device defined in claim 7 wherein said first and second means areintegral with said mounting plates.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 200,540 2/ 1878 Jeffers.3,017,912 1/1962 Sybertz 14442 X 3,240,245 3/1966 Johnson 1441763,250,305 5/1966 Dunbar 144-326 X WILLIAM W. DYER, 111., PrimaryExaminer. W. D. BRAY, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A WOOD CHIPPING DEVICE A ROTATING CHIPPING HEAD HAVING A WORKENGAGING FRONT FACE ARRANGED FOR ENGAGING THE CURVED SIDES OF A LOG TOBE CUT, A PLURALITY OF STEPPED EQUALLY SPACED RIBS MOUNTED ON SAID FRONTFACE AND AT LEAST ONE SET OF TWO SCORING KNIVES IN ASSOCIATION WITH ONEPLANING KNIFE MOUNTED ON EACH OF AT LEAST TWO OR SAID RIBS, SAID TWOSCORING KNIVES DISPOSED IN PARALLEL ARRANGEMENT SO AS TO ENGAGE FIRSTTHE LOG AND DEFINE THE WIDTH OF THE CUT MADE BY THE PLANING KNIFE WHICHFOLLOWS AND ENGAGES THE LOG IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL WITH THE GRAINTHEREOF.